Entries Tagged 'blogging' ↓

The humble white paper is a great way to help people make decisions.

If you’re unsure what a white paper is, basically, it’s a document that describes a problem and shows the reader how to resolve it:

•    It begins by discussing a challenge experienced by its readers
•    Gives a compelling case as to why you should use a particular approach to solve the problem

I guess you could say they are a cross between a brochure highlighting the consumer benefits of a particular product or service and an educational magazine article, therefore conveying technical information within a marketing format.

But happens once they’re published?

The information within them is valuable marketing collateral so it seems a waste to allow it to gather dust.

Make the most of your white papers

White papers can be anything from 6 to 50 pages in length; that’s a lot of information.

Whether you publish them online or produce them as print materials, there is a way to get a bit more mileage out of them.
One such way is to repurpose the content for your corporate blog. After all, how many times have you found yourself scrabbling round for blog posts?

There are only so many times you can pester your subject matter experts within your company to write something for you. Plus, (no disrespect to the technical bods) their writing tends to be too complex for your blog readership who are looking for short posts packed with easily digestible information.

Whether you have the time and expertise within your own company to do this, or you hire in an outside copywriter, a single white paper can create a series of interesting posts.

All you have to do is:

•    Re-write the content with your new readership in mind
•    Devise a way of splitting the content down into individual sections (a 15-20 page white paper should generate about 7 blog posts)
•    Find new ways of presenting the information (e.g. info graphics as well as text)

Before you know it, you’ll have generated a whole new series of marketing collateral.

In this way, a single white paper that would normally have been forgotten about can be converted into fresh, vibrant content that will reach out to a whole new market whilst providing you with an endless stream of blog posts.

Oh yes, ‘wearing’ your blog is this season’s latest trend.

No, I haven’t completely lost it; you really can ‘wear’ your blog (in a manner of speaking).

People read blogs because:

•    They want to learn something
•    They enjoy reading people’s opinions
•    They are personal

That last one is the key – they are personal. Your posts are written by you, from the heart and full of personality.

So, if no one is reading your blog posts, that could mean there’s not enough of you in them.

Getting personal

Even if you don’t realise it, your readers are building a relationship with you.

They know a lot about you from your writing. The style you use, your opinions and subject matter all help them build up a picture of what you’re like. And if they like what they see, they’ll keep coming back.

To some, that might sound like a scary stalker kind of scenario, but your readers are based all over the world and read your stuff because they like it – simple.

If you are lacking in readers, or losing them, you’ve got to boost the connection you have with them. So squeeze yourself into you each and every post and flirt with them a little.

How to add personality to your posts

Try these out for size:

1. Write orally

Write as you speak.

As you compose your post, imagine yourself chatting to a friend over coffee and write in that style. This openness will appeal to your readers and create a very accessible and readable style.

2. Add a bio

By simply adding a biography to each post, or an ‘About’ page to your website will show your readers who you are and what you do. Adding a picture is always a nice touch.

3. Respond

If your readers like your stuff enough to comment on it, don’t ignore them, reply to them. This will encourage a two way conversation and may even boost the number of comments you get.

4. Be personal

Throw a few different types of posts into the mix. As well as your informative stuff, chuck in a few personal stories and experiences, may be even a rant or two. This will really connect with your readers and show them the real person behind the blog.

It’s also a great idea to be contactable – whether by email or social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) – your readers will know you’re a real person who is also interested in them.

Over to you

What do you do to encourage readers to your blog?

Have you found a particular style that works for you?

Leave a comment below – it’s good to share.

Sally Ormond – Copywriter, blogger and lover of rum toffees

A great way to get your name or your brand name ‘out there’ is by asking bloggers to review your products or publish guest blog posts for you.

This helps you gain back links, widen your audience and generally boost your exposure and therefore should be a valuable part of your PR strategy.

But learning how to pitch your ideas successfully is vital if you want your posts to be accepted.

After all, well known and widely-read bloggers will be inundated by requests every week, so you have to make yours stand out from everyone else’s.

So how do you do that?

How do you get noticed?

1. Generic is bad

Like the rest of us, you’re probably short of time, but cutting corners by sending a single email out to a number of bloggers is a bad idea.

After all, who are they more likely to take notice of? Someone who has taken the time to write an email addressed to them specifically by name, or one that has obviously been sent out to the faceless millions (OK, probably not that many, but you get the idea).

If you’re serious about your pitch, mention them by name and personalise the email by showing your familiarity with their blog.

2. Blind submissions

Gathering a list of blog email addresses and blindly sending out your idea won’t be a fruitful exercise.

If you want to stand a chance, you have to research who you’re sending your pitch to. Let’s face it, as I have a marketing/copywriting/social media blog, if someone sent me a blog about the ideal beauty regime for Llamas I would be very unlikely to consider it.

Only send your ideas to blogs within your niche.

3. Don’t be repetitive

Sending your idea once is fine. But sending the same email again and again is annoying.

By all means chase up your proposal after a suitable time period, but don’t make yourself a menace.

4. Get to know them

If a company pops up out of the blue to try and sell me something and I’ve never heard of them, I’m unlikely to be receptive to them.

It’s the same with your blog pitch. If you’ve taken the time to get to know them, either through Twitter, Facebook or commenting on their blog, your name will probably be familiar to them and therefore they are more likely to respond.

5. Ignoring guidelines

If you’ve managed to get your pitch noticed and received a request to see your post, don’t scupper your chances by ignoring their guidelines.

They’ll probably be along the lines of:

•    Your post must be original and must not be published elsewhere
•    It must fit within the topic of the blog
•    It must not be a thinly veiled advert
•    There should be no HTML links in the body text

If you completely ignore these, your post will not only be rejected, any further pitches will more than likely be ignored.

Over to you

Do you regularly submit requests to bloggers?

If so do you have any tips you can offer?

Leave a comment below, it would be great to hear from you.

Let’s get one thing straight from the start – corporate blogs don’t have to be boring.

It’s great that so many companies have woken up to the fact that they need to blog to:

• Boost their SEO and link building activities
• Position themselves as experts and market leaders
• Provide excellent customer service

The problem is that many companies fall at the first hurdle, namely their content. For some unknown reason, businesses still feel that their blog posts have to be formal, technical and downright boring.

Well I’m here to tell you there is another way to blog.

The following 12 points will help you create and maintain an entertaining and interesting blog that people will want to read.

1. Personal

Despite what you think, a corporate blog should be personal. After all, it is a person writing the post so make sure your personality comes through.

Writing your post in the second person (like this post) will help you connect with your reader, because that is what you want to do. A blog post that simply talks at the reader won’t be well received, but if you write to your audience, it becomes much more personal.

Of course, to be able to write to your audience you have to know who they are, so make sure you do your research first.

2. Technicalities

Don’t, whatever you do, write in technical jargon. Your post has to be easy to read and that means leaving all technical terminology out. If it is absolutely necessary, make sure you define it clearly so everyone can understand.

One of the keys to writing a good blog post is to use simple language and plain English.

3. Length

Most people read blogs during their coffee break so make sure you keep them relatively short. Somewhere between 400 – 1000 words is ideal. If you think your post is likely to be longer than that, split it into 2 separate posts.

4. Scan-ability

Because people are unlikely to read every word you write, it’s essential your posts are easy to scan. Using effective headings, sub headings, bulleted lists and short paragraphs will help your reader dip in for the information they need.

5. Interesting

Above all your posts has to be interesting and relevant to your reader. Make sure you write something that will be of use to them and add value to your relationship.

6. No awards

I mentioned earlier that you need to keep your language plain and simple. You are not writing an award winning novel, it’s just a blog post to impart a useful tip or bit of information to your readers. The last thing they want is to have to sit and decipher your incomprehensible language.

They won’t be impressed by big words, so keep it simple.

7. Strong headings

As with every form of writing, your title has to be strong and compelling enough to make them want to read it. Likewise, your opening paragraph has to grab their attention and pull them in.

If your post is weak in either of these areas, you’re unlikely to attract readers.

8. SEO

Yes, it’s those horrible initials again. If you want your posts to be found, you have to use SEO techniques. Include your keyword in your heading and sub headings. It will also need to be in your body text (along with associated words and terms), but not to the extent that it makes it unreadable.

9. Show don’t tell

The underlying aim of your blog post will be to show how great your company is. But coming straight out and telling them you’re the best thing since sliced bread is not the best way to do it.

The best way to highlight your company’s greatness is through case studies and examples.

10. Variety

You can keep your blog fresh by mixing up its content. If you just constantly churn out industry news, it will get boring. Instead, offer articles on manufacturers, customer interviews, industry news, happenings within your company, top tips and how to articles.

11. Images

Blog posts are always enhanced by appropriate images. They can also act as an enticement to get people to read your post.

But make sure they are relevant and good quality.

12. Call to action

After spending (potentially) hours writing your post, make sure you make the most of it by adding a call to action.

It could be something simple as a request for comments, a link to sign up for your newsletter or white paper, or it could be a ‘call now for more information’.

You would never send out a sales letter without a call to action, so why waste this opportunity?

You see, corporate blogs don’t have to be boring. Make sure you understand who you are writing to, keep your language simple and make the blog look attractive (by using subheadings, bulleted lists etc.).

Your blog is an important sales tool and should be given as much importance as you main website and other sales materials.

Over to you

Do you run a company blog? If so, what have your experiences been?

Leave a comment below with your thoughts and questions.

Sally Ormond – Freelance Copywriter, blogger and social media addict

There are oodles of blogs out there covering just about every subject under the sun.

In your niche, there are probably thousands of people blogging about the same subjects as you.

So how do you make yours stand out above all that noise?

How do you get your blog noticed?

Obviously you need to post great information that is relevant to your audience and well-written.  But you need to go further than that if you want to start forging relationships with your readers.

The key to getting your blog noticed is adopting a distinct voice, one that is instantly recognisable as you.

When writing your blogs, it’s very easy to fall into the trap of writing in the same style as your favourite bloggers.

Don’t.

Someone isn’t going to be interested in reading a copy-cast style blog when they can have the real thing. You have to be different and be yourself.

So how do you achieve that?

1. Personality traits

Think about who you are. Then decide what personality traits you want your blog to have.

Do you want to come across as being?

• Formal or informal?
• Conversational and chatty?
• Amusing?

2. Be you

The best way to stand out from the crowd is to let your personality shine through.

The easiest way to achieve that is to write your posts as though you were writing them to a friend. This will automatically change the style in which you write and phrase things.

Showing your personality is the best way to get people to recognise you and engage with you.

3. Review past posts

Every blogger will have posts that do better than others. The trick to maintaining that level is to review those posts, take a look at the voice you used, the angle you wrote about, the topic and point of view you covered.

Then replicate that style.

4. Check the details

Everyone writes differently. It could be your use of punctuation that singles you out, your turn of phrase or your vocabulary and layout style.

Whatever it is, it’s going to set you apart from other writers.

Over to you

How have you developed your voice?

Are there any particular nuances that you’ve established to create your own distinctive style?

Leave a comment below and tell us how you have made yourself stand out of the crowd.

 Sally Ormond

Freelance Copywriter and blogger